PEMEX is investing in constructing two new coker plants at the Tula refinery and Salina Cruz refinery, scheduled to go online in 2024, to phase out fuel oil production. The Salina Cruz cracking refinery, located in Oaxaca, Mexico, is a non-integrated cracking facility owned by Petroleos Mexicanos. It commenced operations in 1979 and boasts a Nelson Complexity Index (NCI) of 8.1. Works on the Salina Cruz unit began in 2022. The plant is expected to contribute to the elimination of fuel oil and the increased production of ultra-low sulfur gasoline and diesel at the refinery.

Ain Tsila is a gas condensate field situated in the Illizi Basin, Algeria, located within the Isarene permit in Blocks 228 and 229a. The Ain Tsila field boasts reserves amounting to 2.1 trillion cubic feet of sales gas, alongside 67 million barrels of condensate and 108 million barrels of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Discovered in 2009 through the successful drilling of the Ain Tsila-1 well, this gas condensate field garnered significant recognition, ranking as the ninth-largest discovery globally for that year. Spanning an extensive area exceeding 1,000 square kilometers, Ain Tsila represents a substantial addition to the energy landscape.

The expansion and modernization initiative aims to significantly increase the refinery’s petrol production capacity, quadrupling it to 450 thousand tonnes per year. As a part of this project, the Combined Cycle has been revamped to utilize hydrogen generated by the new Platforming unit. Additionally, energy production has been optimized by recycling gas, resulting in a notable reduction in polluting emissions.